PM Narendra Modi launches Stand up India scheme for SC/ST, women

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Stand-up India scheme aimed at providing credit to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and women borrowers in the non-farm sector.
The scheme is intended to promote entrepreneurship among SC/ST and women and further give a push to government’s financial inclusion programme.
The broad features of the scheme

• Composite loan between 10 lakh rupees and up to 1 crore rupees will be provided to SC/ST and women and also inclusive of working capital component for setting up any new enterprise.
• Debit Card (RuPay) for withdrawal of working capital. Credit history of borrower to be developed of these under-banked sections of society.
• Refinance window through Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) with an initial amount of 10,000 crore rupees.
• Creation of a corpus of 5,000 crore rupees for credit guarantee through National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC).
• Handholding support for borrowers with comprehensive support for pre loan training needs, facilitating loan, factoring, marketing etc.
• Web Portal for online registration and support services will be provided.

Under the scheme, 1.25 lakh bank branches will provide loans up to 1 crore rupees to SC/ST and women entrepreneurs. Thus it will help in creating 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs throughout the country.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2016